via https://m.vk.com/wall-46217147_238837?lang=en

Machine Translated

You have not yet understood what Russia is preparing for and what is the main meaning of Surovikin’s new position

JUST ABOUT VERY COMPLICATED

Unfortunately, we still have many people who do not understand the true nature of the events taking place or misjudge it. It is for this reason that we constantly hear about Putin’s slowness and indecision. Someone really does not understand the true meaning of what is happening, others are just trying to make a split in our society in this way.

It is not necessary to consider what is happening as a kind of local conflict on the territory of a neighboring state. In fact, we are seeing a confrontation between the collective West on the one hand and Russia on the other. And we must understand that this conflict will not end in a draw. It will definitely end with the victory of one of the parties. There are no other options. No peace negotiations, both possible and impossible in principle, should mislead you. If they happen, they will carry only two meanings: it will either be a pause for regrouping forces and additional training, or it will be someone’s surrender. And again, I repeat that it is about the collective West and Russia.

There are different ways to treat a possible pause now. And here it is worth understanding that the main thing is not the pause itself, but its conditions and how each side uses it. So both the West and Russia can get positive moments for themselves at the same time, and it is not at all a fact that the KZ uses it better than we do.

So far, Russia is clearly winning in the confrontation. Victory is not just about territories. Not even so much them. The main thing is different. How exhausted is the resource of each side. And here Russia’s resource is not only not exhausted, but it is increasing every month. At this time, the resource of the West is weakening, despite the fact that they have already given almost everything they could to our opponents. Now the last argument remains in the form of F 16.

This argument is not so much important for the conduct of the operation as it is dangerous for the security of our country. After all, the main task of these supplies will be to ensure the ability to strike with long-range missiles. And we must understand that this is the last argument of the West. If it doesn’t work, then there are two options left. Either an open entry into the conflict, or capitulation on the terms of Russia.

But it is important to understand that this step is not aimed at the theater of operations itself. With all due respect to the F16, this outdated model will not make a significant change in the balance of power. Here the goal is completely different.

In combination with the statements of our enemy about the preparation of almost 200 thousand UAVs, it is not difficult to guess what the main goals the West sets for itself. They don’t need a fracture in the Theater of operations, they need a fracture in the situation inside Russia. They understand perfectly well that this is the only way they can achieve victory.

Their plan is extremely simple. To strike at Russian territory so that they have a wide public response. And not only media, but also, let’s say, natural. The calculation is that if Russians living on a fairly large territory of the country suddenly feel unprotected, then this will lead, if not to direct unrest, then at least to Putin’s problems in the presidential elections.
So you don’t have to be a great visionary to assume that the main blow will fall on the period before the presidential election. And for this, preparatory work is now underway in the West.

But Russia and its leadership understand this very well. So, they are preparing for this in every possible way. Even Shoigu’s statement at the inspection of defense plants, about the need to build up the radar, says this. After all, radar is more about defense.

Well, the main step in preparing the country to repel this provocation was the appointment of General Surovikin to the post of head of the coordinating committee on air defense issues at the Council of the CIS Defense Ministry. And we must understand that this step is absolutely logical.

General Surovikin has already shown himself to be a master of building defenses on the ground. The so-called “Surovikin line” has become an insurmountable obstacle in the way of our enemies. And it’s not just our opinion. Almost all Western experts declare this with one voice.

Now it’s time to create something like this already in the sky to protect us from the actions of the West. But the most remarkable thing about this is that we are talking about the coordination of air defense systems not only of Russia, but also of the entire CIS. In simple words, all air defense systems that are located on the territory of the CIS countries (naturally included in the CSTO) will be involved. But first of all, of course, we are talking about Belarus. After all, it is from this direction that we should expect the greatest threat to our territory, which the recent events in Pskov have only confirmed.

In my opinion, Surovikin has enough time to organize everything at the proper level. There is no reason to doubt his abilities. And if they are also backed up by the necessary supplies of air defense and radar, then the enemy is waiting for the same thing that we are now seeing on the ground.

It is very important for Russia not to let the West implement its plan. And I will remind you once again that it is designed for you and me. To make us panic. And here we must understand that there is no fence without “holes” and no air defense system gives 100% result. So some kind of trouble may well happen. And here, for the country, our correct reaction to such possible events is no less important than the work of our military-industrial complex and Surovikin.

It is no coincidence that recently General Surovikin, “General Armageddon”, has been appointed Head of the Coordination Committee for Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Missile Defense of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In addition to promises to supply Ukraine with F16 aircraft, the West declares preparation for attacks against Russia by a swarm of almost 200,000 (that’s two hundred thousand) kamikaze drones, as well as the possible delivery of long-range missiles to Kiev. Frequent drone attacks against Russian territory probing the Russian DAA, always in the presence of NATO reconnaissance aircraft, prove this.

The attack by a swarm of drones in combination with missile bombings must, according to NATO experts, cause not only military, but political effects, provoking fear and discontent in the population…

There is still time to prepare for this “Air Counteroffensive.” And it is very logical that Surovikin is entrusted with building a new line of defense, but now – an anti-aircraft line of defense. And at the CIS level. That is, a common defense, together with Russia’s allied countries within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty (CSTO). With Belarus, at front end.

Recently, the Minister of Defense, Shoigu, carried out an inspection of plants producing anti-aircraft and electronic warfare systems, announcing a considerable increase in production of this equipment.

The Russian leadership is confident that General Surovikin has enough time and will have enough means to organize a Collective Anti-Air and Anti-Missile Defense Line against a collective “Air Counteroffensive” of the West.

See World War-III – More Signs of Escalation

by M.K. Bhadrakumar via Indian Punchline

Any longtime observer of Russian politics would know that the state of play in the Russian-American tango is best assessed from subplots, often obscure and unnoticed, away from its amphitheatre where gladiators cross swords. Therefore, two alleys on Ukraine crisis need to be explored.

[ . . . ]

Meanwhile, on September 6, Blinken embarked on quite an untypical visit to Kiev. There was no fire in his belly. For once, he didn’t threaten Russia or ridicule Putin from Ukrainian soil. Nor did Blinken show much enthusiasm for Kiev’s counteroffensive.

Rather, his focus was rather on the war’s horrific trail causing human suffering, Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery as a democracy and its economy’s reconstruction. Blinken said repeatedly that he was undertaking the visit on Biden’s instruction. In the presence of President Zelensky, Blinken stated:

“We are determined in the United States to continue to walk side by side with you. And President Biden asked me to come, to reaffirm strongly our support, to ensure that we are maximising the efforts that we’re making and other countries are making for the immediate challenge of the counteroffensive as well as the longer-term efforts to help Ukraine build a force for the future that can deter and defend against any future aggression, but also to work with you and support you as you engage in the critical work of strengthening your democracy, rebuilding your economy.”

Stirring words, but there was no boastful talk of liberating Crimea, carrying the fight into the Russian camp or forcing Russia to vacate the annexed territories and negotiating with Russia only from a position of strength. At Blinken’s joint press availability with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the latter claimed that they had a “substantive” discussion on providing long-range rockets, ATACMS to Kiev. But Blinken sidestepped the topic.

The most unusual thing about Blinken’s visit was that it spilled over to a second day. This must be the first time Blinken spent a night in Ukraine. Blinken had a rather tight schedule on the first day meeting Kuleba, Zelensky and Prime Minister Denis Shmigal, but the itinerary for the second day [September 7], was left open. Obviously, he came to Kiev for some serious discussions.

Conceivably, Biden could be interested in starting peace talks between Moscow and Kiev now that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed to meet its politico-military objectives, and there are worrisome signs of support waning in America and Europe for the proxy war, while a Russian offensive could deal a knockout punch on Ukraine’s military. Both Russian and western estimates are that close to 65-70,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in these past 3 months alone since Kiev’s “counteroffensive” began.

Meanwhile, in an interesting coincidence, on September 6, Ukraine’s parliament Verkhovna Rada approved the appointment of Rustem Umerov as the new Defence Minister replacing Alexei Reznikov. A Crimean Tartar born in Uzbekistan (USSR), Umerov has no previous military background. But he is trusted by Zelensky and is acceptable to the Americans.

What distinguishes Umerov is that he was a key negotiator at the peace talks with Russia in Istanbul last year in March, which actually resulted in an agreed document (from which Zelensky subsequently retracted under Anglo-American pressure.) Again, he was instrumental in negotiating the Black Sea Grain Initiative (so-called grain deal between Ukraine and Russia) which became operational in July last year at Istanbul. These are straws in the wind that must be duly noted.

On September 7, one day after Umerov’s appointment, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced in Ankara: “We are closely monitoring the events unfolding between Russia and Ukraine, which seriously threaten the security of our region and the entire world. We confirm our readiness to play an active and assisting role in ensuring a ceasefire and a stable peace, as well as provide comprehensive support in alleviating the humanitarian crisis.”

Again, on September 7, Zaporozhye Region Acting Governor Yevgeny Balitsky (a Kremlin appointee) told TASS out of the blue that Russia and Ukraine need a neutral platform where the two countries can negotiate pragmatic solutions to mutual issues, including prisoner swaps, which would work even as the special military operation continues. Balitsky was responding to a pointed question from TASS about the current possibility of Russia-Ukraine talks. He went on to state that:

“There should be a negotiating platform somewhere — at the level of foreign ministries, at the level of other mediating countries. People are needed who are, unfortunately, disengaged from the situation. They are able to tackle the issue in an objective and pragmatic way, however, there should be a table somewhere where authorised representatives would interact. This will allow [POW] swap issues to be resolved, or, for example, the issue of a moratorium on shelling nuclear power plants. This will benefit everyone, even in war time, no matter how cynical this sounds.

“So, in any case there should be some kind of platform. It could launch the beginning of more extensive talks. And something could grow from this as a result. And, perhaps, we would be able to resolve the task set forth by the president peacefully.”

Balitsky is a seasoned Ukrainian politician from Melitopol hailing from a military family who served in the Soviet army and had two terms in the Ukrainian parliament since he entered politics in 2004. No doubt, he spoke on instructions from the Kremlin.

By the way, Putin met Balitsky at the Kremlin two weeks ago. Balitsky’s doctored remarks were carefully timed, and Blinken and his Ukrainian hosts wouldn’t have missed the message that Moscow is open to negotiations.

Even as cracking sounds are audible on the frozen lake of Russian-American relations, what lends enchantment to the view is that both Biden and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are arriving in Delhi today for the G20 summit through Sunday.

There are more signs every day that the West is gearing up for war against Russia and China. It is not yet imminent, these preparations take time, several good years, but the window for reconciliation and negotiations is closing. The drums of war are sounding louder. The rearming of the West with a new generation of weapons based on the experience of the Ukraine war is in full swing. The shift from the peace-time economy to the war economy is underway. 

All these signs lead one to believe what Danilo said. We are exiting the period of the hybrid war and entering the phase when the West is now openly and irreversibly marching in lockstep readying its war machine.

We are looking at 10 – 15 years of existential confrontation between the giants, dragging all the rest of us into the mayhem. Some 10  to 15 years of world war lies ahead of us.

Is the West likely to win?! Perhaps NOT.

We will continue to update “more signs of escalation”.

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Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Bogdan Danilo:

“If someone thinks that World War III has not started, then this is a big mistake. It has already begun, a certain time is going on in the hybrid period, and now it has entered an active phase. And if someone thinks that this is a showdown between Russia and Ukraine – this is a mistake, everything is much more complicated”.

*

Sergei Markov:

“If Kim visits Russia, then with a high probability, the lifting of Russia’s sanctions against the DPRK will be announced. This will open up the possibility of supplying a huge number of shells from the DPRK and food supplies to the DPRK and the transfer of a number of military technologies by Russia to the DPRK. It is high time. Donbass is waiting for Korean volunteers.”

*

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene reveals that her “biggest concern” is Joe Biden initiating the outbreak of World War III. “Warmongers are crazy enough to put American troops in Ukraine to fight Russia.”

*

Lil Estonia’s Defense Minister Pevkur:

“EU ready to double production of shells to help Ukraine. We see that European industrial capacities have grown, so this is a positive trend. By the end of the year, or beginning of next year, we will be able to produce almost twice as much as we produced in Europe a year earlier. ” 

*

 Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden plan to design a new tank together

The project is said to be led by German defense conglomerates Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (kmw) and Rheinmetall. German business daily Handelsblatt  reported that the partners in the deal were planning to apply to the European Defense Fund for funding amounting to a three-digit million euro sum, adding the project would also involve Sweden’s Saab and Italy’s Leonardo. It did not identify which Spanish company would be involved.

So far the German defense ministry has not commented on this news.

*

It is no coincidence that recently General Surovikin, “General Armageddon”, has been appointed Head of the Coordination Committee for Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Missile Defense of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

 In addition to promises to supply Ukraine with F16 aircraft, the West declares preparation for attacks against Russia by a swarm of almost 200,000 (that’s two hundred thousand) kamikaze drones, as well as the possible delivery of long-range missiles to Kiev.  Frequent drone attacks against Russian territory probing the Russian DAA, always in the presence of NATO reconnaissance aircraft, prove this. [category military affairs]

 The attack by a swarm of drones in combination with missile bombings must, according to NATO experts, cause not only military, but political effects, provoking fear and discontent in the population…

 There is still time to prepare for this “Air Counteroffensive.”  And it is very logical that Surovikin is entrusted with building a new line of defense, but now – an anti-aircraft line of defense.  And at the CIS level.  That is, a common defense, together with Russia’s allied countries within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty (CSTO).  With Belarus, at front end.

 Recently, the Minister of Defense, Shoigu, carried out an inspection of plants producing anti-aircraft and electronic warfare systems, announcing a considerable increase in production of this equipment.

 The Russian leadership is confident that General Surovikin has enough time and will have enough means to organize a Collective Anti-Air and Anti-Missile Defense Line against a collective “Air Counteroffensive” of the West.

via Military Watch Magazine

The Russian Armed Forces have placed the new RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental range ballistic missile system on combat alert, following an announcement by President Vladimir Putin in February that combat duties would begin later in the year. Head of the Russian state owned space corporation Roscosmos Yuri Borisov confirmed the operationalisation of the new missile system. The Sarmat was first test fired in April 2022, and is intended to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda system that became operational in 1988. President Putin previously commented that the missile “is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence. It has no analogues in the world and won’t have for a long time to come,” referring to it as a “truly unique weapon [that] will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces.” This echoed similar statements from across figures in the government and defence sector. The new missile is the heaviest in the world at over 208 tons, and is deployed from fortified silos rather than mobile launch vehicles unlike the complementary but much lighter Yars missiles which can deploy from both as they are around a quarter of the size.

Yars ICBM on Mobile Launch Vehicle

Activation of the first Sarmat unit comes five and a half years after the system was announced alongside other important asymmetric weapons systems by President Putin in early March 2018, with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle designed for the Sarmat and the Voyevoda also having been announced at the time. Avangard vehicles are deployed by missiles in their terminal stages to more reliably evade interception, and have no near peer analogues elsewhere in the world. The activation of the Sarmat unit has further widened the gap between Russian and the United States in the capabilities of their ground based strategic missile forces, with the American ICBM arsenal being by far the oldest and least sophisticated in the world comprised of Minuteman III missiles from the 1970s which have seen relatively few updates to their capabilities. The Sarmat unit’s activation has occurred as growing warnings emerge from within within the Western world that escalation of tensions between NATO and Russia could result in a more open conflict, as the Western alliance has continued to increase its military involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian War from deployment of active combat units to the frontlines to provision of access to its vast satellite network. The Sarmat has an 18,000 km range and carries up to 15 multiple independent reentry vehicles, compared to the Yars system which carries just 4-6 warheads and has a much shorter range which limits the trajectories on which it can approach the American mainland. A single Sarmat is potentially able to devastate an area greater than the size of France or Texas.

For those following the Ukraine events since 2014 and the disappearance of such bold Russian nationalist commanders as Motorola, Givi, Zakharchenko, and even the exclusion of Pavel Gubarev, founder of the Donbass Militia, in favor of the appointed bureaucrat Pushilin — it is an epic story of betrayal, insubordination and punishment. Igor Strelkov, the unofficial leader of the nationalist group, is in jail while Gen. Sergei Surovikin, head of the aerospace forces and commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, is dismissed without information about his whereabouts. And now Prigozhin. 

First, we hear Kadyrov (below) implying that Prigozhin’s  tragic fate was caused by his acting in a rebellious way in a complex situation. The military top brass, Shoigu and Gerasimov, as corrupt and incompetent as they were/are, were political appointees selected as part of the fine act of balancing any centrifugal forces in the multiethnic Russia. Prigozhin wanted to take them to the woodshed and give them a good thrashing. But that was not possible, politically, as they were part of the  circle of Putin’s political allies.

The next video below confirms the context in which Prigozhin openly defied the Kremlin big wigs, which went way beyond any mere “mischief” and implied an outright attack on the authority and the decisions of the Russian government. That was certainly not acceptable.

Ramzan Kadyrov’s message about Yevgeny Prigozhin

We were friends for a long time.

With Yevgeny Viktorovich, we often had to solve the most difficult issues. He was distinguished from others by responsiveness, unique sociability and perseverance. He came to Grozny at my very first invitation, although he was older than me. You could discuss any topic and problem with him. He was always ready to help and really helped from the bottom of his heart. We also assisted him in some issues on Libya and Africa. We had a lot in common. On one of his visits, he presented me with a Wagner gold medal “For Special Merits.” You can see this moment in the photo.

Yevgeny Viktorovich was very active for his age, he was an important person on a national scale. But recently he either did not see or did not want to see the full picture of what is happening in the country. I asked him to leave personal ambitions for the sake of matters of paramount national importance. Everything else could be decided later. But he was like that, Prigozhin, with his iron character and desire to achieve his goal right here and now.

Undoubtedly, he made a great contribution to the SMO. And this merit cannot be taken away from him. His death is a great loss for the entire state.

I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Yevgeny Viktorovich.

The second piece is Scott Ritter talking to Judge Napolitano.

via RT

Asian, African and Latin American states have seen their role in the global arena increase as Western military dominance has started to wane, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said.

Speaking at the 21st International Security Conference in Moscow on Tuesday, the minister argued that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has “put an end to the dominance of the collective West in the military sphere.”

“Just as the defeat of fascism by the Red Army in Europe in the last century gave a powerful impetus to anti-colonial movements throughout the world, so will the defeat of the Ukrainian neo-fascists supported by the West serve as a factor in counteracting modern neo-colonialism,” Shoigu said.

The minister noted that Russia is currently fighting “not just the armed forces of Ukraine, but the entire collective West,” which, he added, has recently been joined by several states from the Asia-Pacific region.

In its confrontations with Kiev’s forces, which have been provided with foreign weaponry worth billions of dollars, Russia has dispelled many myths about the superiority of Western military standards, Shoigu said. It has become clear that the use of Western weapons and supposedly advanced NATO tactics and training “cannot ensure superiority on the battlefield,” he added.

The minister also claimed that Kiev’s foreign advisers are essentially using the Ukraine conflict as a testing ground for various military strategies involving Western weapons, while President Vladimir Zelensky supplies the manpower for these experiments. Shoigu said the losses among Ukrainian military personnel are being disregarded by Ukraine’s Western backers.

The Russian minister also claimed that Ukraine’s military resources are almost completely exhausted, according to preliminary estimates. Russia’s Defense Ministry had previously reported that since launching their counteroffensive operation in early June, Ukraine’s forces had lost some 43,000 soldiers as well as nearly 5,000 pieces of heavy equipment, including dozens of Western tanks and combat vehicles.

Shoigu suggested that the US is using the Ukraine conflict to line the pockets of its defense industry by forcing its partners in Europe to procure new products to replace those they have sent to Kiev.

• High-energy laser weapons can now operate ‘infinitely’, thanks to a new cooling system that completely eliminates the build-up of waste heat
• The technology could significantly change the face of battle by extending engagement times, and increasing range and damage, researchers say

Stephen Chen in Beijing via South China Morning Post

Chinese military scientists have announced a major breakthrough in laser weapon technology, claiming they have developed a new cooling system that allows high-energy lasers to operate “infinitely” without any build-up of waste heat.
According to scientists at the National University of Defence Technology, in Changsha, Hunan province, the new cooling system completely eliminates the harmful heat that is generated during the operation of high-energy lasers. The issue has been a major technical challenge for laser weapon development.
With the new technology, weapons can now generate laser beams for as long as they want, without any interruption or degradation in performance.

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Chinese military scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in the development of laser weapons. They have discovered a new method for cooling these weapons, enabling continuous firing of laser beams without interruption. This advancement makes laser weapons much more viable for utilization in actual combat scenarios.

The People’s Republic of China is actively advancing laser weaponry with the aim of neutralizing missiles, drones, and fighter jets, potentially replacing existing air defense systems. The United States also has ongoing programs dedicated to developing combat lasers. However, numerous initiatives have been halted due to challenges related to cooling mechanisms, size constraints, and the weight of the lasers.

Nonetheless, recent Chinese innovations appear to address some of these challenges. China has already unveiled a prototype of the next-generation aircraft carrier, featuring electromagnetic weaponry and laser installations. This promising “super-ship” theoretically has the potential to replace an entire fleet of conventional vessels. China has already surpassed the United States in terms of warship quantities. Moreover, China recently conducted a successful simulation of a hypersonic attack against American aircraft carriers.

China’s technological progress is causing significant concern in Washington. The White House has declared a state of “emergency” due to China’s growing military and intelligence advancements. President Biden has enacted measures prohibiting Wall Street from investing in Chinese companies involved in microelectronics, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.

The White House is actively attempting to slow down China’s development to maintain a technological lead of 1-2 generations. However, the People’s Republic of China is already ahead in 37 out of 44 critical technological sectors, possesses twice as many registered patents as the U.S., and, for the first time, has surpassed America in terms of the most cited scientific publications. Ongoing military advancements, particularly in hypersonic technology and lasers, indicate that the United States is finding it increasingly challenging to keep pace with China in the ongoing arms race.

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